Friday, May 26, 2017

History: The Year is 2012

As always, Alex Shrugged's opinions are his own. Other people's work are their own. I include them here for the sake of completeness and to provide a second method of access to the material for the TSP history segment.

It's the Girls Gone Wild: Secret Service Edition!

Contributed by Alex Shrugged
As with any Presidential visit, a team of Secret Service agents
are sent ahead to set up security. Back in the "good old days" this also
meant "Wheels up! Rings off!" President Barack Obama will be arriving
in Cartagena, Columbia for the 6th Summit of the Americas to discuss the
War on Drugs. The Secret Service arrived ten days earlier, and it's
party time! After a particularly hard night of drinking and cavorting, a
complaint comes in from a woman of negotiable virtue. She hasn't been
paid, and she is hopping mad. (FYI, if you are going to do something
immoral or illegal, make sure everyone gets paid what they were promised
and a little more. This includes drug dealers, prostitutes and
assassins. They can do a lot more harm to you than you can do to them.
OK. Moving on.) The fly in the ointment is that the new Secret Service
supervisor, Paula Reid, is a woman of integrity. This ain't your daddy's
Secret Service any more. If you mess up, she is going to mess with you.
Believe it. She sends them all home, and makes a full report. But some
secrets are just too good not to share, so as President Obama arrives
for the Summit, the news breaks. After the recent gate crashing incident
by those reality TV knuckleheads (The Housewives of Washington D.C.),
it raises doubts as to the competency of the new Secret Service. But
don't worry. At least no one is jumping the fence, and wandering around
the White House unchallenged... yet. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]

My Take by Alex ShruggedI
wasn't always "good", at least when I was single, but I have always
been faithful to my wife. (No BS.) Road trips were no different. In
fact, I was like an albatross around the necks of my co-workers when we
were sent out. I wasn't judging. I wasn't watching, but my personal
presence was clearly discouraging any acting out. In Las Vegas, as we
got in a cab, the cab driver said, "Hi Guys! Oh! Hey!" On the floor of
the cab was an ad for the Bunny Ranch. He said, "I can't have an ad just
laying on the floor!" He slipped it in its clear plastic holder. We all
laughed, and thus began a jocular discussion with the cab driver about
the Bunny Ranch which would have been a very long cab ride. What a
coincidence! As we left the cab I mentioned that the cab driver was
attempting to cajole us into taking a trip to the Bunny Ranch. They were
surprised, but then they realized that it was true. Such opportunities
do not arise by chance. Use your head. Be aware. Nigerian princesses
don't just fall into your lap, and if they do, they aren't worth it.
This is the voice of sad experience talking, gentlemen. They are not
worth it.

A YouTube video kills the ambassador?

Contributed by Southpaw Ben
At 9:40 on September 11th, members of the terrorist group Ansar
al-Sharia attacked the US diplomatic compound in Libya. Later, the group
attacked a CIA annex that was a mile away with mortars, resulting in a
dozen CIA contractors being killed or injured. As Secretary of State,
Hillary Clinton took responsibility for the lapse in security that
resulted in a lack of additional security being provided to the embassy.
Initially blamed on a YouTube video that was considered blasphemous, as
it portrayed Islam's founder in a bad light, later evidence supports
the assertion that the attack was premeditated, and the release of the
trailer was just a coincidence that made a good scape goat.
[8][9]

My Take by Southpaw BenOne
of the problems with breaking news is that rarely does it get anything
more substantial than the location right. For example, this year when
news of the Ohio State stabbing/vehicular attack first broke, it said it
was an active shooting with multiple casualities. In actuality, the
only shooting was the police shooting the attacker, who was also the
only fatality. Also, if the message doesn't fit the agenda of the news
company, it will likely be twisted, and blatant issues with what they're
reporting will be ignored. When I first heard about the Bengazhi
attack, I thought it was a way for the terrorists to commemorate their
"9/11 success", as the attack occurred on September 11, but I don't
remember ever hearing that idea even tossed out. Because apparently CIA
press releases are always accurate, especially when it doesn't make any
logical sense if you think about it for more than 5 seconds.

Here Comes Superstorm Sandy

Contributed by Alex Shrugged
It's not a very strong storm as such things are measured. It's
called "Superstorm" Sandy because it is no longer a hurricane. Its winds
have been dying down which why it comes as such a surprise when it
causes so much damage and loss of life at the end of its run. Sandy
began as a tropical storm that developed into a Category 3 hurricane. It
hit the Bahamas hard, and then headed north along the Atlantic. It
seemed like New York and New Jersey had dodged a bullet when the storm
suddenly hooks and comes right at them. Even though Sandy is weakened,
it covers a very large area. Sustained winds, even if lower than
hurricane force, can be devastating if maintained long enough. The tide
is coming in, making the storm surge even greater. The waters surround a
neighborhood just as a fire breaks out. They are lost. Firefighters
can't get to the blaze. A crane collapses. New Jersey's boardwalks and
amusement rides slip into the sea. When it is all over, 117 are dead in
the New York/New Jersey area. 40 deaths were from mandatory evacuation
area A. They received their notices, but some people insist that it
couldn't happen to them. Homes are lost. Power is out, yet here and
there some people are prepared. Quietly, extension cords are shared
between friends. It's good to have friends. Governor Christie reaches
out to President Obama for help. It's their job, but the image is burned
into the minds of the public as Christie walks along the beach with
Obama. One can almost imagine them holding hands. With only days until
the election and Sandy's aftermath dominating the news, Mitt Romney
can't get a word in edgewise. President Obama coasts to reelection.
Sandy's damage is costly indeed.
[10][11]

My Take by Alex ShruggedWell...
Romney might have lost anyway. No sense in whining about it now. And
speaking of whining, I was on a discussion forum right after Sandy had
passed, and I was amazed that New Yorkers were angry over resistance in
Congress for a relief package to help New York. I asked why New York
should get any special relief. After all, weren't New Yorkers aware that
hurricanes happen in their neck of the woods? Why weren't they
prepared? They replied that Sandy came as a complete surprise. But
surprise to whom? I'm living in Texas. I was tracking the storm out of
keen interest since Texas had been hit by Hurricane Rita... a REAL
hurricane. It destroyed Houston and Galveston a few years back. They
jumped on that. Texas had received aid, but it was the normal FEMA aid.
We didn't ask for MORE aid because Texans realize that hurricanes
happen. We were prepared to handle the extra cost that such events
INEVITABLY require. They couldn't see the light. It must have been very
dark where their heads were. (Sand. I mean their heads were in the
sand!)

Notable Births

None that I can find other than princes and princesses.--alexshrugged

Notable Deaths

Neil Armstrong (age 82, complications after
bypass surgery): First man on the Moon. His family asked that when you
see the Moon "think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink."
#WinkAtTheMoon [12][13]

Sally Ride (age 61, Pancreatic cancer): First US woman in space and a very private woman in her personal life. [12]

Rodney King (age 47, accidental drowning after
alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, and PCP use): His public beating by police
and subsequent exoneration of the police sparked a riot. [12]

It is still illegal federally, but the feds are looking the other way.

(My only objection is that current rehab resources are not adequate
to handle the inevitable X number of people who will get trapped, but
the same is true for alcohol in that sense. We will adjust.--alexshrugged)